


Local Duke of Puzzles Offended at suggestion that he cares.

by Willowjade



Category: Deltarune (Video Game)
Genre: Child Neglect, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lesser Dad, Rouxls Kaard is a good Lesser dad, prisoners are good at insults who knew?, this is my first deltarune fic after a whole bunch of undertale ones but i think i did a good job
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-26 22:23:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16690057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willowjade/pseuds/Willowjade
Summary: It was late at night now and the only thing Rouxls could hear were the clacks of his boot heels hitting the floor.It was the one thing at that moment that kept him sane as he decoded the puzzle inside his brain.Rouxls was notoriously bad at puzzles... That wasn't entirely true, He was alright at solving puzzles. Intermediate at best.Making puzzles however... Rouxls chuckled at the absurdity of keeping his job (and his head) for as many years as he did.It was a rather morbid thing to laugh at, he thought. The fact that he was so close to being like those who came before him.He never signed up for Duke of puzzles. The role was sort of... Unceremoniously thrust upon him after all others were laid off, Imprisoned or worse. The clicking of his boots changed suddenly from comforting him to reminding him of his afternoons by the dungeons, the one place the king never cared to look for him...OrRouxls Kaard Doesn't care about what people think of him. Or The king's son either.At least, he wasn't going to admit it.





	Local Duke of Puzzles Offended at suggestion that he cares.

It was a few hours after the lightners left the card castle, things were suddenly very different.  
Rouxls Kaard was in his shoppe, That also happened to function as his home, Pacing backwards  
and forward. He was trying to process what exactly had just happened in such a short amount of time.

 

A few hours beforehand, The lightners went to leave the castle.   
He had gone back to his shop, Preparing for if anyone were to need him.   
Only a short while after, Lancer had come to him.  
Something was off. He seemed to be scared of something.  
After a moment of hesitation, Rouxls spoke.   
"Oh Lancer, What couldst possibly be wrong?   
art you not suppose to be with thy little friends?"   
he was not prepared for the verbal assault Lancer was about to commit.

"Lesser Dad! Well um- You see, It's kinda a funny story.   
I went to go tell Dad about making peace with the lightners and he was all like  
Lancer my son have you dispached the lighters like I said? And I told him  
No... B-but they're really nice! And we don't have to fight and then   
the lightners showed up on the roof and Susie was all like Sup. And then-  
And then Dad... Got scary again. And-"  
Rouxls could barely make out the words that the young prince was speeding through   
but he understood enough. "Prince Lancer! art thee alright? ...Where art the lightners now?"  
"W-well you see- Dad didn't like that I let the lightners go. And... And he told me that they're scum   
and they don't care about me... WHICH ISN'T TRUE! Susie is actually really cool and-"  
Rouxls was beginning to get anxious. Did Lancer need him or not? "Lancer please do get to the point.   
What didst thy father do?" Lancer apologized and attempted to speed up his already fast speech.  
"Sorry Lesser Dad... I... As Dad was telling me about my   
friends being the bad guys, He had his hand on my sholder. The way he does when I do something  
Wrong. He told me that they were scum and like an idiot I told him no." Lancer stopped to breathe for a moment,   
Rouxls waited in apprihension. Nothing good had ever come from the king's hand on Lancer's shoulder.  
"Th... That's when he grabbed my neck. And he picked me up and started shouting at me.  
Then Susie told him to let me go! ...Then- Then Dad said that he'd do it."  
Rouxls sighed "Lancer I-" Rouxls started, before he noticed that lancer had begun to cry.  
"I-I'm sorry! I'll keep talking... He- He told them that he'd let me go...   
Off the edge. A-and watch me splatter u-unless the lightners knelt and bowed down to him."  
Rouxls mentally punched himself in the face. How could he have not noticed sooner?  
The way the prince was awkwardly holding his neck, In tears.   
"Nay tis fine, thee has't not to tell me any more." Rouxls was actually concerned for the child.  
"And then..." Lancer whispered, voice shaking. "Then he was going to kill them Rouxls!"   
...Lancer hardly ever addressed him with anything other than that, albeit stupid, nickname.   
"He was gonna kill them and make me watch... But I couldn't let him!   
So... I raised my hand and I shot a spade into his back and I came right here!"  
"Oh, Prince Lancer. I cannot believeth thy father wouldst do such a thing!" Rouxls felt guilt. Why? the prince was not his child.   
Although, he may as well have been.  
"But he Did!" Oh, bad word choice. "And I need everyone's help!! Lesser Dad he's going to kill the lightners!"  
...And that's when the king was overthrown.

 

t was late at night now and the only thing Rouxls could hear were the clacks of his boot heels hitting the floor.  
It was the one thing at that moment that kept him sane as he decoded the puzzle inside his brain.  
Rouxls was notoriously bad at puzzles... That wasn't entirely true, He was alright at solving puzzles. Intermediate at best.

Making puzzles however... Rouxls chuckled at the absurdity of keeping his job (and his head) for as many years as he did.   
It was a rather morbid thing to laugh at, he thought. The fact that he was so close to being like those who came before him.   
He never signed up for Duke of puzzles. The role was sort of... Unceremoniously thrust upon him after all others were laid off,   
Imprisoned or worse. The clicking of his boots changed suddenly from comforting him to reminding him of his afternoons by the dungeons,   
the one place the king never cared to look for him... There was a time when he was walking by the dungeons...

 

Rouxls was walking by the cells on the way to investigate an unfamiliar part of the dungeons.   
He held a few books that he was planning to read in private, without the threat of the king   
catching him reading them. he had his posture held high, Not because he was particularly confident,   
but rather to show the prisoners that he was not there for simple chitchat.   
Not to mention the dungeons creeped him out and he certainly was not trying to cover up that fact.  
Again, Listening to his boot heels click against the stone floor gave him something to focus on.

All of a sudden, His rhythm was halted by a hand grabbing his ankle, sending him falling forwards.  
After, hitting the ground, he noticed that his books were all over the place. More importantly, he noticed the  
prisoners laughing at him. One spoke up. "Ahahaha! The epitome of grace gentlemen! I give you the Duke of Puzzles!"  
Rouxls couldn't help but feel embarrassed. "Heh, More like the Duke of fallin' on his face." Rouxls was not about to be  
insulted by a bunch of low lifes! He stood up. "very funny gentlemen, if it be true I am such a screw-up.   
prithee tell. Why am I out here and thee imprisoned?" Rouxls began to pick up his books.  
"What's this then?" One of them picked up a book of his and began to read it aloud. "Making puzzles vol three.  
Chapter one - How to make an advanced sliding block puzzle. Step one-" Another prisoner snatched   
the book off of the first and flicked through it. Rouxls just stood there, waiting. 

The second prisoner began to laugh. "Rouxls Kaard: Master of puzzles cannot even make one!   
We may be in here but at least we knew how to do our jobs when we had them!"   
Laughter erupted through the cell and Rouxls felt offended.  
"I'll has't thee knoweth the king handpicked me for this job because he did seeth potential!   
At least more than thee scumbags ever has't!" His outburst only gave to him more laughter.  
"Maybe if your brain was half as big as your pride is you'd see just how stupid you sound!"

Another prisoner pretended to be offended. "Don't thee knoweth whomst I am? I am Rouxls Kaard! I need not to knoweth anything!   
The king will simply forgiveth my outstanding incompitence! For I am the Duke of puzzles! I sit upeth in my ivory tower and looketh down   
on the mere peasents whom have worked their entire lives away to be thrown into prison for disagreeing even slightly with his majesty the king of Spades!   
...At least you never have that problem, Eh Kaard. I doubt you're even smart enough to know the king's manipulating you."   
More laughter. Rouxls was angry now. Mockery? Really?  
"Keep thy lies to yourself." He managed, As a last-ditch attempt to have the last word.  
Yet another prisoner spoke up, "Hey Kaard. If you unlock the cell, I'll teach you everything I know about puzzles!   
You'll never be laughed at again!" Rouxls paused for a moment, taken aback by the absurdity of the statement.  
"N... No." Rouxls regained his composure. "Just how dumb do thee think I am?" Laughter. Again. Did these men think they were funny? 

"I am Rouxls Kaard! I can't tie my shoelaces so I wear laceless shoes!"  
"Th-That's a fashion choice."  
"I talketh liketh an idiot to sound smarter than I am!"  
"Y-you can't prove that!"  
"When the King asks me to jump I say how high!"  
"I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions!"  
"I spend all day in the dungeons 'cause I know it's where I belong."  
"Keep talking and I'll have you k-killed!"  
"Try me Kaard."  
"I-"  
"I'll give them this lovely book you shared with us. Then everyone will know you're a fraud.   
Perhaps the king wouldn't like to hear that." The prisoner slid a finger across his throat... Suggesting the worst for Rouxls.  
"I'll... I'll..." They all laughed again. Rouxls wanted them all to shut the hell up.  
"You'll what Rouxlie? Kill me yourself? Face it. You're a coward."  
"Hold your tongue."  
A hand grabbed his ankle again. Rouxls tried to break free. That particular Darkner was strong.  
"Next time you come here Rouxls... Remember. You're not as above this as you think you are.  
It don't take much to get under your skin." The hand held tighter around Rouxls's ankle. Claws digging in. "Metaphoricly or otherwise...   
We'll be keeping the book Kaard. Don't screw up."

Rouxls cringed at the memory as it came back to him, Strangers and old friends alike ridiculing him.  
Although, what they said was true. The insults had deeply effected him for several months now.  
What the prisoners had said back there, they were only feeding his already existing insecurities.   
He decided it best to go sit for a while as he thought. He sat back to relax and to breathe for a little while.   
He drifted off to sleep...  
The sleep, However peaceful, didn't last too long. All of a sudden, Rouxls woke to a sound coming from the shop.   
After initially being frightened, After realising the sound was A knock. He quickly stood up, ready to bow.

He then realised that it couldn't have possibly been the king... "...ser dad!" Rouxls could barely make out.  
Rouxls opened the door to Lancer. "Hi Lesser Dad!" He glanced at a nearby clock.  
"Lancer? what art thee doing? tis way past thy bedtime!"  
"Well, Dad didn't have a bedtime!" Lancer grumped.  
"Ah, Of course. My apologies... King Lancer."  
"You look tired... Wait a minute... Did I wake you up? Oh no!"  
"Tis fine pr- Uh... King Lancer."  
"No it's not! I came here 'cause I couldn't sleep and now look! You can't sleep either!"  
"I assure you, It is fine. Lancer."  
"What if nobody can sleep? Because I didn't tell them they could sleep!"  
"Lancer, Please." Rouxls said, Exausted.

Lancer was silent.  
"Thank you Lancer, Now tell me, How art thee?"  
Lancer made a noise of indifference "Well, My throat still feels kinda strangled."  
"Is this why you came to me at this hour?"  
"Well, No. I was too busy with kingly stuff to come for dinner." Rouxls suddenly remembered. The king was   
locked in the dungeon. Of course nobody was there to feed Lancer.  
"Did thee eat anything today?"  
"Well... I ate some secret hidden snack! Like you told me to eat when Dad forgets breakfast!   
Oh! And then Me and Susie split a hearts doughnut!   
And then I tried the candy from the trees for the first time!" It used to concern Rouxls,   
that some days Lancer didn't eat anything all day, and then only sometimes get dinner.   
He was half convinced the king was trying to starve the poor boy.

"Well then," Rouxls began, "Worms again?"


End file.
